


Rough and Gentle

by SmartassUndertheMountain



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Smut, gruffness, like really, polite dwalin, proceed with caution if you make it that far, so much smut in the last chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 04:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4087210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmartassUndertheMountain/pseuds/SmartassUndertheMountain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Previously Titled "My Lady and Master Dwarf."</p><p>You and your brother, Bilbo, are traveling with a company of dwarves and he begs you to use a fake name, for protection. When your real name is discovered more happens than you could possibly imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yeah. You?

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this post on tumblr that talked about an AU where you don't know your soulmate until you've said each other's names (it talked about it in regards to Baggenshield, but I didn't trust myself to write about - even though it would be amazing.
> 
> Here is the link to the post I saw:  
> http://dragonslaeyr.tumblr.com/post/116158922485
> 
> Okay but the au where you don’t know your soulmate until you hear them say your name.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You discover what you never thought you would, and with ... Dwalin?

            Bilbo didn’t want the others to know your real name. You’d asked him why, but the only reason he gave was tradition and then looked at you with puppy dog eyes and a pouty lip and begged you to go by a fake name. Airlia. That’s what you were going by. It wasn’t a bad name, but you hated it all the same. Why had you let that face weaken your resolve? 

            It had taken a week before you were used to responding to it. The dwarves would have to say it at least twice before you looked up in surprise, cursing yourself mentally for forgetting again that Airlia was your name now. Most of them resorted to “lass” as a result. You liked it. It wasn’t the same as being called by your name, and had they called you “girl” or “woman” you would have put them in their place, but they said it with affection, so you smiled and went along with it. Dwalin, Balin, Thorin, Gloin, and Oin were the exceptions. They had been raised very old-school, and called you ‘my lady,’ despite your insistence that you were no such thing and that ‘lass’ was good enough.

            You’d been on the road for about a month when Thorin assigned you and him the same night watch. You were mending the hole in the pocket of your spare trousers and Thorin was staring off into the distance, lost in thought. The night was calm, quiet, and warm enough with the fire going strong. 

            “My lady?”

            “Yes?” You kept working on the pocket, you were almost done.

            “Is that your real name?” Thorin’s voice was soft, but there was a hint of curiosity and a lot of authority in his tone. You set aside your unfinished mending and looked at him, eyes wide with surprise, but trying to look like you had everything under control.

            “I beg your pardon?”

            “Is Airlia your real name?”

            “Why would you think otherwise?”

            “You rarely answer to it. You looked surprised for two weeks when anyone tried to address you, and you actually prefer being called ‘lass.’ I don’t care what your name really is, I just need to know if _who_ you are matches up with what I know about you, even if the name doesn’t.”

            You took a deep breath. Thorin seemed calm and rational. His sky blue eyes bore into yours. “It is not my name, but I can promise you that everything else about me is real. Bilbo asked me not to reveal my real name.”

            “Why?”

            “Dwarves are protective of their women-folk, right?” You waited for a nod of confirmation before you continued. “Hobbits are too, but in a different way. You see, names are precious. They identify you, your family, your friends, allies, enemies - a hobbit’s name is everything. You don’t know my real relationship with Bilbo, nor do you know my real name. Otherwise you know everything about me that there is to know - or at least anything that could be of any importance to you.”

            “Fair enough.”

            “Are you going to tell everyone?”

            “Not unless you want me to.”

            “Do you think they would be mad at me?”

            “Confused, maybe, but not mad.”

            “I’ll tell them eventually, in my own way, if you don’t mind.”

            “Not all, my lady.”

            “I’m certainly not a lady, Thorin.”

            “Are you not Bilbo’s wife?”

            “WIFE?” Your eyes popped out of your head at the suggestion and you slapped your hand over your mouth, embarrassed that you yelled out so loudly while everyone was asleep. Thorin chuckled.

            “I take that as a ‘no,’ then?”

            “Absolutely not! I’m his sister. Don’t tell him I told you that.”

            “My lips are sealed.”

            “In that case,” you leaned in close and tugged on Thorin’s shoulder until he leaned down enough for you to whisper in his ear, “my real name is Y/N.”

            “Y/N. That’s a lovely name. Shame we can’t use it.”

 

            It wasn’t until you were separated from Bilbo on the mountain that you were brave enough to tell the company your name. Well, until Bilbo shouted your name at the top of his lungs because he thought you were about to die.

            “Y/N!”

            “Bilbo!” He pulled you to him in a hug that could have crushed your ribs.

            “Y/N? Who is Y/N? Airlia, lass? What is he saying?”

            Questions flew around you. “I’ll explain later, okay?” You shot a look to Thorin who nodded and urged everyone on. Once you were settled in the small alcove you were once again in the midst of a hundred questions at once. Thorin quieted them down so you could speak, Bilbo glaring daggers at you the whole time. You explained things to them the way you had to Thorin. Names were everything to a hobbit, and at your brother’s insistence, you kept yours a secret. “I’m sorry I deceived you all, but it wan’t out of mistrust or maliciousness or anything. It’s just hobbit tradition, especially for women.”

            “Is Bilbo his real name?” Gloin looked at your brother with a suspicious eye.

            “Yes.”

            “So, what do you want us to call you, lass?” Bofur asked.

            “Y/N. Or lass if you want. Just not Airlia or ‘my lady,’ I’m wearing stained trousers, not fine jewelry.” You looked pointedly at Thorin as you said that, and as a result, Dwalin, since they were, as usual, side-by-side.

            You’d never called Dwalin by his name. It seemed too intimate. You thought you were silly for thinking that way; you called all the other dwarves by their first name, but he was still ‘master dwarf’ to you. Maybe it was because he only ever addressed you as ‘my lady,’ or because he was so intimidating. Yes, you decided, it was because he was incredibly intimidating; he was all muscle and tattoos and gruff exterior, which made you want to shy away and stay on his good side.

            Despite your instructions, he still called you ‘my lady’ for a while after that conversation with everyone, not that you had much interaction.

           

            “You alright, my lady? The goblin didn’t squash ya’ flat, right?” He held out a hand to help you up in the goblin caves.

            “I’m alright, master dwarf. I’ll be sore tomorrow, though.”

 

            “My lady?”

            “Yes, master dwarf?”

            “You look like you’re going to be ill?”

            “The eagles - the height. Just give me a minute and some space.”

            “Alright, my lady.”

 

            “RUN, LASS!”

            “I AM RUNNING!”

            “FASTER!” The dwarf urged you on as your ‘host’ chased the party through the clearing.

            “I’VE GOT HOBBIT LEGS, WHATTAYA EXPECT?”

            He grabbed your hand and half dragged you along with him, his long legs forcing your shorter ones to move twice as quick to keep up.

            When you were all inside and safe you collapsed on the ground.

            “Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

            “My legs are shorter than yours, master dwarf. They have to move twice as fast to cover the same distance in the same time, so believe me when I say it was that bad.”

            “My apologies, my lady."

 

            It wasn’t until the prisons in Mirkwood that he said your name. You were in your cell, in between Nori and Dwalin. There were jokes, insults, and a lot of angry sounding khuzdul. Your brother was missing, but you couldn’t ask about him without alerting the guards that they were missing someone.

            You sat with your back to the wall, a few feet from the door. Your legs were hugged to your chest, forehead resting on your knees, trying to keep calm and not think the worst for your brother.

            “My lady,” Dwalin’s voice whispered to you in the night.

            “Yes?”

            “He’ll be fine.”

            “What are you talking about?” _Darn it, Dwalin. Keep talking and they’ll figure it out._

            “Your brother. I know you’re worried about him being all alone in the shire, but he’s fine.”

            _Ohhhh._ You played along. “And what if he gets himself into trouble with the Proudfoots?” You’re voice broke a little, and your whisper ended in a squeak.

            “He won’t. He’s a resourceful little bugger.”

            You giggled softly. “That he is.” Silence surrounded you. “Thank you, master dwarf.”

            “You can call me Dwalin, ya know.”

            “You always call me 'my lady.’ I’ve never once heard you use my name.”

            “Mother raised polite dwarves, if nothing else.”

            “Not sure my brother would call it that.”

            “Yeah, well, the only part that stuck was about being polite to ladies.”

            You laughed heartily. You could just imagine Dwalin wooing some dwarven woman, all polite and gentlemanly, then leaving her to go drinking with his friends and becoming a total brute.

            “It isn’t that funny.”

            “It’s a little funny."

            “I suppose you’re right.”      

            “Well, from now on, master dwarf, please, call me Y/N. I will consider it an insult to be called anything else.”

            “Only if ya call me Dwalin.”

            “Alright, Dwalin.”

            “Y/N?” His voice sounded tight, restricted, as though a giant hand had grabbed him and was squeezing him.

            Your chest tightened, your breathing got heavier, your eyes widened. Your heart felt like it was expanding in your chest, and your brain could only picture Dwalin. His face, his rough exterior, his voice, his name, swimming through your head over and over again like a shrine dedicated to him. Gruff Dwalin, sarcastic Dwalin, angry ball of rage, warrior Dwalin, polite Dwalin, Dwalin. Dwalin. Dwalin. 

            “Dwalin?” Your voice was unsteady, nervous. It couldn’t be. Was it supposed to feel like this? Why were you suddenly so nauseous.

            “Y/N.” You could hear the smile in his voice, the nervousness, the small sigh the accompanied it.

            “Did you just feel …? I mean are you…?” You moved closer to the door. Your hands gripped the bars and you tried in vain to see into his cell.

            “Yeah. You?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Are you okay?”

            “The room is still spinning, but I’ll be fine.” Your grip on the bars tightened as you tried to breath deeply.

            “I wish I could see you right now, to know if you’re smiling or not.”

            Why did he sound so nervous? He was tough and strong, you were the weak one (at least in comparison to him you were). You smiled for the first time. Your stomach settled, and you felt your body glow with warmth. “I’m smiling.”

            “Really?”

            “Why wouldn’t I be? I feel like my entire body is warm for the first time because you just… and I just… Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

            “Because I’m… and you’re… but I’m - I mean, that’s good.  I’m happy, too.”

            “Yeah?”

            “Yeah. The only thing that would make this better is not being in here.”

 

            Eventually it got better. Bilbo came through and got you all out. Then it got worse. There were orcs chasing after you, trying to kill everyone. You were too tiny to do any damage to the orcs attacking you, so you hunkered down in your barrel and tried to not draw attention to yourself and survive the water that assaulted you, going down your throat and up your nose and stinging your eyes. The yelling stopped, the river became smoother, Dwalin called your name. You popped your head up, like a groundhog.

            “Over here!”

            “Y/N! Are you alright?”

            “Fine. You?”

            “Wet.”

            You giggled at his sour face and climbed out of your barrel. You started swimming. 

            “Are you crazy?”

            You ignored his yelling and his orders to get back in your barrel. You swam to his side and grabbed hold of the rim. You felt his hands grab hold of you and haul you up. You were squished into the barrel with him, with no room to turn around. After wiping the water from your eyes you looked up at him. 

            “What were you thinking!?”

            “That I needed to look at you, to see that you really were alright and not just talking big.”

            His eyes searched your face. You could see the disbelief, the shock, and the relief all at once. “I’m alright, Y/N, now that I can see you.” He smiled at you as he pushed away some of the hair that was plastered to your face. 

            You smiled back and reached up to tug on his beard. He brought his head down a little, which pushed your upper body back and made the barrel tip to the side. You placed a quick kiss on his hairy cheek. You pulled away and blushed bright red.

            “Sorry. That was forward. I just… I’m glad you're okay.”

            He shook his head. “Don’t apologize.” His arms wrapped around you and held you close. You were cramped, your clothes were cold and wet and stuck to you, you were certain you had a splinter in your butt from the darn barrels, orcs would be chasing you, you had no idea how to get to Laketown from here with no supplies or weapons, but as long as you were next to Dwalin, everything would be right in the world.


	2. Of Course

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've been injured and your tough dwarf shows his sensitive side.
> 
> Thank you to reader_viewer for the idea for this chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts in 3rd person. The italics (the flashbacks) are in second person from the reader's perspective, and the end is second person as well. I hope that doesn't confuse anyone!

            Thorin watched his friend sitting by her bedside, holding her hand, staring at her face, but all she could see was the inside of her eyelids. A coma, the healers had said. All there was to do was wait and hope she came out of it soon, before someone decided she should be put out of her misery.

            “Dwalin.” Thorin’s voice was softer than usual, as though his typical gruff tone could somehow harm the unconscious or disrupt the healing process. The dwarf looked up. “Come. We need to talk.”

            “I’ll be right back, love. I promise,” Dwalin whispered to Y/N, gave her hand a squeeze and followed his friend and king out of the room.

            Thorin shut the door and leaned against the wall, Dwalin following suit. They stood in silence for a few moments, slightly awkward in a healing wing with so many uncertainties hanging about, slightly comfortable in the familiar presence of an old friend.

            “How’s she doing?”

            “No change. ‘Stable,’ they call it.”

            “She was very brave."

            "I had thought she would stay where I left her. I don’t know what possessed me to think that.” 

            "She doesn’t like being told what to do, and she never does what you expect. It’s usually a good thing.” Thorin smiled very slightly, thinking about when she jumped out of the barrel in the middle of the river to check on Dwalin.

            "But then sometimes it isn’t. Like when she goes charging into battle and damn near gets herself killed trying to fight off orcs more than twice her size with dwarves that have more than twice the training she’s got. Like when she decides to jump in front of a blade meant for Gloin. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Gloin’s alive, but she’s laying in that bed and there’s nothing I can do about it and I hate it.”

            “It’ll be alright, Dwalin. She’s strong.”

            “She doesn’t look strong right now, and I don’t know that I can be strong for her.”

            “You need your rest. You stay by her side so much that you’ve barely slept in a week, and I can’t remember the last time I saw you eat a decent meal.”

            “I’m not all that hungry. And I can’t sleep anymore.” Dwalin looked to the ground and flexed his jaw.

            Thorin remained silent. He looked hard at his friend until their eyes met. He silently prodded his friend for an elaboration that he wasn’t sure he would get. He'd never seen Dwalin’s eyes so empty, his face so sad. 

            “We’ve been through a lot of battles together, and we’ve done a lot things, seen lot of things, but I can’t say I’ve lost much sleep over it because it was in the heat of battle, but I’m losing sleep over this one. We nearly lost all of the Durins - mostly because they’re thick headed idiots - and Y/N is in there and I might very well lose her. I couldn’t protect the ones I was fighting with and I didn’t protect the one I should have been with. How can I go on knowing that?” His eyes were starting to sting but he refused to allow the tears to spill. That would make it real. He couldn’t let it be real.

            Thorin had nothing to say. What words could comfort this hurt? He raised a hand and clamped it down on his friend’s shoulder. “This is not your fault. This is no one’s fault but the orc who tried - and failed - to kill our friends. Gloin saw to him."

            “It doesn’t change that she’s lying in there and there is nothing I can do about it. Had I been there I at least could have done something. I’m a fighter, Thorin. I can’t stand this waiting.”

            “You don’t have to do it alone. You’ve got twelve dwarves that are here for you, and one begrudging hobbit. He still isn’t happy about Lake Town.”

            Dwalin raised his hands in innocence. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”

            “Yeah, and I’m an elf.”

            “I swear! She and I were sitting by the window. She was sitting on her knees, looking out, and I was trying to get her stop in case anyone were to see her…"

 

            _“Oh, stop worrying and have some fun.”_

_“Fun? You call this fun?” He tugged at your arm so you were looking at him instead out the window at the town around you._

_“I’ve never been around men before. Everything is so large, but not as large as at Beorn’s. And their town is literally over top of the lake. I always though it was beside it, but no. It’s actually on the lake! Isn’t that interesting to you at all?”_

_“There’s a mountain full of gold and a dragon in spitting distance and a town of men on a lake is what grabs your attention.”_

_“I’ve heard about the dragon and the gold and the mountain. I haven’t heard about the men or the town that’s actually on a lake, now I’m going to look and you can’t stop me.”_

_“Oh really?”_

_“Really.” She pulled her arm from his grasp but rested her hand on his shoulder and went back to peering out of the window. “I wonder if boating is the main mode of transportation, or if they prefer to walk? It seems like the planks would be slippery. But would you get used to it? And if you do-WHOAH!”_

_You looked up at your dwarf. He had pulled you from your perch into his arms, which also happened to mean across his lap. You’d never been in a position so intimate before. His face was close and his body closer. His arms were around you, hands resting on your stomach._

_“What are you doing?”_

_“Stopping you?"_

_You nodded and bit down on your lip to keep from smiling. “I see. Is there something else I should be doing that made you feel the need to put an abrupt end to my watching the town?”_

_“Well, not necessarily, but everyone is occupied at the moment, and we’ve got this corner of the house to ourselves for the time being…”_

_You couldn’t hold back your smile anymore. Your big tough dwarf was so shy about what he wanted from you. It was cute, but his shyness only served to enhance your bashfulness and caused you to blush._

_“… But anyways, can I kiss you?”_

_You nodded, your voice having suddenly decided to run off._

_He smiled a little in return before shifting your body so that you were sitting rather than lying on him. Your arms wound around his neck for support and one of his hands held your waist to steady you. He lifted the other hand to caress your cheek. You closed your eyes and let yourself get lost in the feeling of his rough calloused fingers on your soft skin, the way your cheek fit perfectly in his hand._

_You felt his nose brush against yours first, a gentle lead in to let you know that his lips were hovering just a breath away from yours, a hesitation, to let you decide when to go for it. You took as deep of a breath as you could manage and leaned forward the short distance to him. His lips were chapped and hot and firm and his moustache pricked and his beard tickled and you felt like you were flying._

_You pulled your body closer to his and both of his hands dropped to your hips. Your hands migrated up to his hair and tangled in the mousy brown locks, tugging and massaging. You pulled back from his lips and looked into his eyes. “I love you.”_

_“I love you, too.”_

_You smiled. “Good. Now kiss me like you mean it.”_

_“With pleasure, my lady.”_

_His mouth was hot and greedy and you surrendered to him, let him control the tempo, but your nails scratched along his scalp and your body pressed ever closer as his hands massaged your hips. You wanted more. You wanted his lips against your neck. You wanted to nibble on his ear. You wanted to feel his body on top of yours, his weight pressing you into the mattress. But you weren’t on a mattress. You were on a couch shoved into the corner of Bard’s living room, an unhappy fact that you reminded of only when you heard…_

_“Y/N!”_

_You pulled away quickly and slid so that you were sitting beside Dwalin once again, your hands demurely in your lap, in the span of about half of a second._

_“Hi, Bilbo.” You couldn’t look at him or your dwarf, or any of the amused faces peering at you from behind your very not amused brother._

_“What do you think you’re doing?”_

_“Practicing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. We’re in a town that’s above a lake, and we almost got drowned once already. We might as well be prepared?” Your excuse was as weak as your voice, which cracked as you whispered your response, cheeks glowing red with embarrassment._

_“Dwalin? A word?” Bilbo turned to walk away, assuming the dwarf would follow. You jumped to your feet and stood in front of Dwalin, preventing him from standing up._

_“Now wait just a minute. You want to have a word with him? Really?”_

_“Y/N, this doesn’t concern you.”_

_“Bilbo Baggins, I will not stand here and let you blame him for something that I wanted to do. I may be your younger sister, but that doesn’t make me a child, even though you seem to forget that from time to time. We’re both adults, Bilbo. I trust you to make your decisions. Trust me to make mine.”_

_Every pair of eyes was on you at that moment, glancing back and forth between the two hobbits. you'd never fought before, never so much as disagreed. Bilbo glanced around you at the warrior, who was staring up at you, mouth slightly agape, wondering where this temper had been hiding all along. You stood your ground, legs apart, arms cross, eyes narrowed, shoulders squared._

_“This is your decision, then?”_

_“Yes.”_

_Dwalin smiled at your quick response, but on seeing Bilbo’s unhappy gaze, went back to his stoic warrior face._

_“Alright, I’ll respect it.” He turned his attention to Dwalin. “But that doesn’t mean that I want to see you defiling my sister. And if you hurt her I will hurt you.”_

_“I would never do anything to hurt her.”_

_“Keep it that way.” He walked off and you sat back down next to your dwarf as everyone else dispersed._

_You locked eyes and tried not to giggle but failed._

_“Where did that come from? I’ve never seen you angry before.”_

_“Well, you should see me when I’m really angry.”_

_“I’m not sure I want to.”_

            "If that was you convincing me you were innocent, it didn’t work,” Thorin chuckled softly, leading them back into your room.

            “All I’m saying is, she told me to.” Dwalin sat back in his vacated chair, Thorin taking the one on the opposite side.

            “How did she go from unable to look at anyone to staring down Bilbo in a second? I hadn’t seen that from her before. She hesitated in front of the wargs outside of the caves and with the spiders before she started fighting.”

            “I asked her about that actually…”

 

           

            _You were sitting with your back pressed against Dwalin’s chest, his arms snug around you. Biblo and Thorin were talking in the distance, and most of the others were trying to sleep. You’d seen the dragon fall in the distance, but you did not know the fate of those left behind. Did they make it? Were they on their way now, or were they too injured to travel? No one spoke their fears, but everyone’s was the same._

_Dwalin was trying to distract himself by learning all there was to know about you. Currently he was asking you about your favourites._

_“Flower?”_

_“All of them.”_

_“Tea?”_

_“Depends on the time of day.”_

_“Dessert?”_

_“You’re asking me to chose?”_

_He chuckled and hugged you tighter, placing a kiss to top of your head._

_“I’ve got one for you. How is it that such a tough warrior, with rough hands and rugged personality, is so gentle with me?”_

_“The same way a sweet little hobbit is also terrifying when brother interrupts her kissing. Really, Y/N. I’ve never seen you react like to anything. You went from totally embarrassed to totally defensive in no time.”_

_“He was trying to put all the blame on you, completely neglecting that it takes two to kiss and that if you had kissed me and I hadn’t wanted you to you’d have been unconscious on the floor. Besides, I won’t have you and him making agreements about me. I’m not a thing to be haggled over.”_

_He rested his head on your and you felt him smiling into your hair. He inhaled deeply and turned you to face him. His eyes were shining in the dim light of the fire._

_“You are amazing, Y/N.”_

_You blushed at the compliment and kissed him on the cheek. After settling back into your original position you took one of his hands and started playing with it, tracing the patterns and lines and callouses. “You never answered my question…”_

            “She didn’t like her brother accusing you?” Thorin raised an eyebrow. They both leaned over your bed slightly, propping themselves up on the edge of the mattress.

            “That’s what she said.” He plead with your hand, tracing the patterns and lines that you had once traced on his. 

            “You still haven’t answered my question.” Your voice was dry and rough. Your throat felt like a desert and your vision was blurry.

            “Y/N!”

            You saw the fuzzy outline of a bald head above you, and felt the rough hands of a fighter on your arms. 

            “How do you feel?” Dwalin’s voice was full of worry and relief, you could hear the smile, but knew he wouldn’t be worry free until you were walking.

            “I’ll go get Oin.” Was that Thorin’s voice?

            “Y/N?”

            “My vision is wonky, my throat hurts, and my head is pounding.”

            “Here, let me help you.” You felt his arm move behind your back to help you sit up a little. It stayed there as he lifted a cup to your lips and helped you drink. The water was cool on your throat and you drank greedily. “Any better?”

            You nodded. Your vision was clearing and you could make out the different tattoos on Dwalin’s head, even if they were a little fuzzy. Now that you weren’t focused on your throat you felt the pain in your shoulder and leg. Your head was still throbbing and you could see the edge of of a bandage in your peripheral vision. It made you dizzy and you motioned for Dwalin to let you lie down again. You reached for his hand and held it as tightly as you could.

            “What happened?”

            “What is the last thing you remember?”

            “There was an orc headed for Gloin, but he was already fighting off one. I shouted, but he didn’t hear me. Then… nothing. It’s all dark after that.”

            “You jumped … in front of Gloin, but the orc was already swinging. Bofur said he turned to you just in time to see the blade go through your shoulder. Gloin heard you cry out and turned around and killed it. You saved his life.”

            You breathed deeply, trying to process this information. You? You saved Gloin? No way. “I don’t remember that. I would have remembered that.”

            “I promise you, you did.”

            “The head injury?”

            “You landed on rock or something. Split your head open. It’ll heal easily. Might have a bald patch on the left side, though.”

            “Well, I know a handsome dwarf who has a bald spot, so I guess it won’t bother me all that much.”

            “You think I’m handsome?” He grinned.

            “I was referring to Bombur, but you’re pretty cute, too.” You wink and he laughed. He swooped down and kissed you softly.

             “Now, tell me about the leg."

            “After you fell, Gloin was trying to protect you until he could pull you to the side. A warg tried dragging you away while Gloin fought it’s rider. Bofur stopped it, but your leg was pretty torn up.”

            “Will it heal?”

            “Oin thinks you’ll be able to walk just fine after a while.”

            “And the arm?”

            “Limited movement.”

            “Okay. I can live with all of that.” You held his hand rubbed the back of it with your thumb. You smiled softly up at him. You wanted to know how long you’d been out, how everyone else was, but you decided that you’d asked him enough questions for now.

            “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

            “Why? You didn’t bite into my leg.”

            “I wasn’t there, and I should have been. I did no good to Thorin or the boys. I should have been protecting you.”

            “Are they- ?”

            “They’re alive, no thanks to me. And you’re alive, no thanks to me.” He stood and stalked over to the other side of the room, glare fixed on a painting that was dirty with soot and age. You could feel his anger radiating off of him, and knew it was all directed at himself.

            “Dwalin, come here, love.”

            “You shouldn’t call me that.” He didn’t move.

            “Dwalin, son of Fundin, come over here right now.”

            He slowly walked back over to you.

            “Now sit.”

            “Y/N, I -“

            “SIT!” The yelling hurt your head, but it got his attention.

            He did.

            “Good. Now, this is not your fault.” You turned as much toward him as you could and took his hand. "I went out onto the field after you were gone so you wouldn’t worry about me. I see that backfired, but you are not to blame. Don’t be angry with yourself. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me for telling you I would stay put, for lying to you, for making you worry.”

            His eyes brimmed with tears again and this time he let a few fall down his cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed you. His nose rubbed against yours as he pulled away to look in your eyes. “I could never be mad you, love.”

            “Then don’t be mad at yourself.”

            “I’ll try.”

            “Good.” You gave an approving nod and laid back down, gritting your teeth against the pain. “Now, just one more thing, quickly, before Thorin gets back with Oin.”

            “Anything.”

            “I want a real kiss from my dwarf.”

            “Of course, my lady.”

            He stood so he could lean over you. His beard tickled your neck and you closed your eyes in anticipation. He tried to kiss you gently, but your good right arm raised up and pulled him closer. You felt his love, his worry, his joy, and for that moment you felt no pain, only your love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a chapter three coming to wrap all this up with a nice neat bow, since I know this one leaves something to be desired (at least for me it does).


	3. Proven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're curious about dwarven courting traditions and Dwalin is worried about you hurting yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really did not mean for this to be so long, I just started and I couldn't really stop.

            You sat in the library with Ori, helping him comb through documents, most of which were charred beyond recognition. There was little else they would let you do with an arm that could only be lifted 45 degrees from your body and a leg that still had you limping everywhere you went. Ori was slowing down. You could tell he was ready for lunch, but you still had at least half an hour before it would be ready.

            “Ori, could you tell me what dwarves traditionally do when they date?”

            The dwarf slowly put down the file he was working on and looked at you. “I’m not sure I’m the one that should tell you that. That’s more of a Dwalin question.”

            “It’s hard to ask him. Believe me, I’ve tried. I want to surprise him with some knowledge of his traditions. Please?”

            “Oh, alright.” He turned his chair and scooted closer to you. He scrunched his face as he thought of where to start. You giggled and he gently backhanded your good shoulder. Ori had been like a brother to you from the start, helping learn about and adjust to your dwarven companions and explaining their behavior to you and your brother.

             “We have a few things that we’re supposed to do when we’re courting someone, both sides usually do it, but in their own ways. We have to show that we care what the other person says, prove that we can protect them, and demonstrate that we can take care of them and provide for them, and most importantly, we have to show them that we trust them more than anyone else.”

            “Okay. How do I do those things?”

            “Hey, whoa! This is not my relationship! You have to figure it out on your own.”

            “Ori! I don’t know how to show Dwalin I can protect him, or provide for him. I can care about him, listen to him, trust him, but I don’t know if I have the ability to do the other two.”

            “Provide doesn’t have to mean financially.”

            “What?”

            “You could provide warm meals, a relaxing atmosphere after a long day, an escape from regular duties. Be creative and play to your strengths.”

            “Okay, but how do I protect him?”

            “No clue.”

            “ORI!” You couldn’t keep the whine out of your voice.

            “Seriously, I don’t know. He isn’t really the dwarf-in-distress type. You’ll have to protect him from something without him knowing it at the time.”

            “Great. He knows everything, I swear. It’s so annoying.”

            “Who’s so annoying, love?” Dwalin entered the room and walked over to you, placing a quick kiss on your cheek before standing behind you and resting his hands on your shoulders.

            “Thorin.”

            “What’d he do?”

            “What didn’t he do?”

            “Fair enough.”

            You caught Ori’s surprised glance. Only you could get away with saying something like that about Thorin, even when it wasn’t true. Dwalin would normally give a hard glare until the offender apologized. For you he just chuckled and agreed.

            “Come on, you two, time for lunch.”

            “I’ll be there in a minute. You two go on.” Ori waved you away with a private smile and you grinned at your chance to walk alone with your dwarf.

            You stood and let Dwalin take your arm to help you down the hall. You enjoyed how gentle he was with you, even if you thought you could probably walk to the dining hall on your own. Dwalin’s strong arm supported you and kept you steady as you walked along.

            “How has your morning been, master dwarf?”

            “Long. Fili wants to start training again. Doesn’t realize his hip still needs time to heal. Just says he can’t stand lying around while Kili is running around already. It took half the morning to settle on an arrangement.”

            “And what arrangement is that?”

            “He can train with me, if you’re okay with it.”

            “Why would you drag me into this? You both know I don’t think he’s ready for that.”

            “Ah, yes.” He smiled, a clever gleam in his eye. “But you’re just as eager as him to get back into fighting shape. The deal is that he trains when you’re ready.”

            You stopped walking and looked at him in the eye, trying to find the joke. There was none. “You’re kidding, right? Please be joking.”

            “Afraid not.”

            “So either Fili and I start training soon, before he’s ready, or I push back my training until the git won’t hurt himself more?”

            “So neither of you will hurt yourselves.”

            “I’m ready, Dwalin. I won’t get hurt.”

            “Funny, that’s exactly what Fili said this morning.”

            “Come on, let’s get to lunch. I need to have a talk with a certain blonde dwarf.” You took his arm again but dropped it in less than a second. If you were ready to train then you shouldn’t need help walking around, although half the reason you had always accepted his arm was the gentle and innocent contact with the gruff dwarf. You started walking down the hall, as at as brisk of a pace as you dared, which really wasn’t very brisk at all.

            “Need an arm, my lady?”

            “Nope.”

            “You took it earlier.”

            “I wasn’t proving a point earlier.”

            He started after you and in less than ten steps he was even with you. “And what point is that?”

            “That I’m ready train. Fili is not.”

            “Y/N, come on. You’re in the same condition.”

            “He had an arrow pierce his hip. A warg bit my leg. Those are two very different injuries.”

            “You’re both still limping.”

            “In different ways, in different stages of healing. He still has a long way to go. I’m nearly healed.”

            “Then wait till you’re fully healed, woman!”

            You walked into the dining room and sat between Nori and Gloin, across from Fili, purposefully ignoring Dwalin. He only called you ‘woman’ when he was frustrated with you. Like when you followed him into the mountain after Bilbo woke up the dragon, or when he caught you walking around without a walking stick to help you.

            “Fili, sweetie, did you make an agreement with Dwalin this morning?” You bit into your sandwich and waited for a response.

            He swallowed his mouthful and looked between you and your now very grumpy dwarf. You didn’t usually call anyone sweetie unless you were comforting them or unhappy in some way. “Well, yes.”

            “Are you to start training when I do?”

            “Whenever you’re ready. I only need five minutes notice.” 

            “Fee, I know you’re ready to get back to your usual warrior self, but your hip needs rest.”

            “And your leg doesn’t?”

            “Two. Different. Kinds. Of. Injuries! How do you dwarves not realize that a bite and an arrow cause different kinds of damage?”

            The dwarves glanced at Dwalin, who was watching the exchange with a certain degree of amusement and frustration. No one could tell which would win out. Fili kept eye contact with you, a shit eating grin threatening to show on his face as it was already showing in his eyes. He glanced down at your shoulder, then back to your eyes. Yours widened, but you quickly corrected and went back to your stoic face.

            “Different kinds of damage, eh? And tell me, if a bite and an arrow are so different, then is a sword through the shoulder comparable to an arrow to the hip?”

            Your jaw dropped slightly. Silence reigned. No one moved for a moment. You could feel eyes on you, waiting for you to respond. In your peripheral vision you saw Thorin and Dwalin exchange a glance and a slight head nod.

            “I suppose in some scenarios, it could. Though I certainly don’t walk on my shoulder.” You smiled smugly. You felt cocky, and you knew your face reflected that. You could feel the glint in your eye, the one that Dwalin and Bilbo hated because they knew you’d figured out how to irk them even further than you currently were. 

            “Y/N, whatever you’re thinking, no.” Without looking at your brother you knew his eyes would be squinty with anger and his movements jerky.

            You leaned across the table, making it clear that this was between you and the prince. He leaned forward as well, until there were only a few inches between you. An outsider would think this looked intament. Those present knew that it was an action of spite and cockiness and complete stupidity. “What do you say to training, just the two of us? Think you could handle that?”

            “I could handle whatever you could throw at me.” His blue eyes sparkled, excited like a little cub. You knew the feeling.

            “Tomorrow, before breakfast, then?”

            “The old library?”

            “You would spar in a library?” You kept your voice calm and smooth, ands you were quite proud of that. But it was fake. You knew you were just making Dwalin more frustrated with you, and while that made you nervous, this was something your idiotic pride wouldn’t let you give up on.

            “Wherever.”

            “I’ll not have those old books at risk.” Your voice was careful as you said that, making sure he knew your double meaning. The books were important, but so were your still slightly injured bodies. Just because you were stupid enough to ignore everyone’s advice didn’t mean you had to be careless about it. "The back halls.”

            “I’ll see you there, five am, sharp.” 

            He nodded his head toward you and you did the same. You both settled back and continued to eat lunch. You tried not to make eye contact with him, knowing you burst out into giggles and your calm, tough facade would be ruined. You were pleased that you’d found a way around Dwalin’s agreement. You knew from the look in Fili’s eyes as you talked that you would go easy on each other, avoid each other’s injuries at first. Dwalin or Thorin would have started at the weakest point from the beginning. 

            Nori started a conversation with you and distracted you from your thoughts, describing different hairstyles he’d thought up to help your very sensitively mentioned bald spot. Your hair was short at the moment, pretty much like your brother’s, because you hadn’t been able to master washing longer hair with one hand. You laughed when he suggested something very similar to his current star-shaped hair. You couldn’t envision your short locks doing anything like what his did. You declined that one, claiming that you did not have the patience nor the talent for such a style, and that you would hate to copy him.

            You stealthy glanced at Dwalin over Nori’s shoulder. He had a white-knuckle grip on his sandwich, which made it amazing that it hadn’t been ripped in half yet. Thorin was talking to him in a hushed tone. You tried to read his lips, but quickly realized that he was speaking Khuzdul and any hopes of knowing exactly what they were talking about was lost. Nori noticed your eye line and grinned.

            “So, our hobbit lass is a spy now is she?”

            “Nori, keep your voice down.”

            “I get it. You want to know because your love is involved. Relax. Let me see if I can help.”

            “You don’t need to, really.”

            “Hey, let me do what I’m good at.”

            “I thought you were a-“ You cut yourself off.

            “I am, but there are many skills needed for that.” He winked at you and watched the pair in question carefully. To your amazement, they didn’t notice that they were being watched, even though Bilbo and Ori at the other end clearly saw what was going on.

            “He’s saying that they can still keep an on you two, make sure you don’t hurt each other.”

            “Fee and I?”

            “Yep. Dwalin’s saying something about protecting you, and -“ He stopped mid sentence, looking back at his plate, an embarrassed smile tugging at his lips.

            “Nori? What is it?”

            “It’s not my place.”

            You looked at him in disbelief. “Please?”

            “What do you know about dwarven courting?” This caught Gloin and Fili’s attention and you eyed them all carefully before whispering that Ori had told you a little bit that morning.

            “Did he tell you about the protecting thing?”

            “Only that each person has to show they can protect the other.”

            Nori raised an eyebrow and looked at you, a suggestive grin on his face. You raised both eyebrows back, a little wrinkle forming between them.

            “Nori, if I may,” Fili said, looking to the redhead for a nod of approval. Nori nodded, glad to not have to explain it. “He’s trying to court you properly, and protect you, by keeping you from training too soon.” Gloin and Nori nodded in agreement.

            Your eyes bulged with surprise slightly and you fought to control your voice, to whisper your confusion. “He’s already protected me from a dragon. What more does he feel he has to do?” 

            “Apparently you are more dangerous to yourself than a dragon is.” Gloin chuckled and the other two joined. You shook your head, but couldn’t hold back the small laugh.

            That caught Dwalin’s attention. He stood and you fully expected him to walk out to deal with his anger, so you didn’t watch him walk around the table. You tensed when you felt his hands land heavily on your shoulders.

            “Y/N, can we talk for a moment.” You glanced around your small group, gaging their reactions.

            “Of course.” You stood to follow him but he picked you up and tossed you over your shoulder. The world was upside down and you could see the dwarves trying not to laugh. “DWALIN!” He didn’t respond; he just walked out of the dining room. Blood was rushing to your head. “Set me down. I can walk just fine.”

            “You can walk slowly.”

            You couldn’t argue that one. You wrapped your arms as best you could around his torso and tried to lift your head a bit to counteract the redirected blood flow that was making head feel heavy and your cheeks puffy. “Dwalin, please set me down. The blood is rushing to my head.”

            You heard him huff. He stopped and set you down gently. His hands wrapped around your upper arms, circling them almost completely. It dawned on you just how much muscle mass you’d lost in the past few months. No wonder Fili was so damn eager.

            He looked into yours eyes. Your vision filled with green eyes that expressed sadness, anger, and worry. You tried to maintain eye contact, but you couldn’t. He seemed to see straight through you. You felt embarrassed that you’d gone to such lengths to undermine his arrangement with Fili, and in front of everyone.

            “I’m sorry. I got carried away.” You knew he would understand you even though you muttered. 

            “Look at me.”

            Reluctantly you did.

            “I’m not angry. You think I am, but I’m not. I’m not mad that you’re doing what you think is right for your body. Am I frustrated that you’re dragging Fili into it, and that you think it’s somehow better for you to train with him than someone who’s job it was to train dwarves? Yes!” His voice had increased in volume and you jumped, still not fully comfortable around loud noises since the battle. He noticed and released his hold on your arms, eyes asking for forgiveness.

            “Sounds more like you’re angry to me.” 

            “I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to get hurt again. I don’t like seeing you limp around. I don’t like that your arm is as healed as it’s going to get. I don’t like that you have to ask Nori how to do your hair.” He reached up to stroke your cheek. "I know you and Fili would never intentionally hurt each other but accidents happen, and I couldn’t forgive myself if something else happened to you, if I couldn’t protect you.”

            “You’ve already protected me.”

            He scoffed.

            “You have! I made it all the way to Laketown because of you. You made sure I didn’t get lost in the goblin caves, kept your eye on me when we were running to Beorn’s from Beorn, kept me from giving in to my own despair in Mirkwood. You protected from a dragon!”

            “Those don’t count.”

            “Why not?”

            “I wasn’t trying to properly court you then.”

            “What?” You already knew it was true, but hearing it from him still made your heart pause in your chest, before working double time.

            “I’m trying to court you properly now that we’ve got Erebor back. Everything that I did before doesn’t count.”

            “That doesn’t mean that you haven’t already proven yourself in every way.”

            “I’ve barely begun.”

            “The way I see it, you’ve already completed it, and I’m the one who’s lacking.” You saw his frown. He opened his mouth to argue but you cut him off. “Ah-ah!” You lifted a hand to his mouth and covered it. “Let me explain.”

            You took his hand and led him down the hall into one of the lounges. You sat down and tugged him down to sit next to you on your left. You turned your body to him and held his right hand in your left.

            “Now. There are four step right? Care, protect, provide, trust?” He nodded. “I’ll only mention the things after the battle, since you think the other stuff doesn’t count. First: You’ve been by my side throughout the healing process, making sure that I was okay. You have done more for me than my own brother has, and it seems that he’s made it his life’s mission to take care his baby sister. Second: You make me feel safe. I have never worried about what will happen to me. You have provided a safe and happy atmosphere. Third: you prevented me from breaking down every day after physical therapy with Oin and Fili. You were there for me during every rough day, each time I cried and thought I couldn’t bear it anymore. You protected me from my own doubtful thoughts. Fourth: you’ve fallen asleep next to me, let me hold you, let me touch your beard and your hair. You’ve let me kiss you in front of the others. Maybe you don’t see it this way, but I see that as you trusting me, with your body, with your hair, with your tough-guy reputation.

            “Don’t you see, that to me, you never had to prove yourself? But since you’re blind and didn’t see that, you’ve proven it five times over. It’s me that still needs to prove myself to you, and I don’t know that I can. I don’t know how to protect you, or what I could possibly provide for you. I just know that I trust you with my life, and that I care for you more than I care for anyone else, more than I thought possible. And I really hope that’s enough for you.” You were out of breath, your body shaking. You felt like you’d bared yourself to him and his silence was terrifying.

            His hand stoked some hair out of your face and you closed your eyes at the sensation. He pulled your head forward and rested his forehead against yours. He held you in place, but moved. His nose rubbed against yours and then his lips, very barely, made contact with yours.

            “You’re the blind one.” He pulled back and you opened your eyes. Your mouth was gaping like a fish and your eyebrows knitted together as you tried to figure out what he meant. He laughed a big hearty laugh, clutched at his stomach and held onto the back of the couch to steady himself. You snapped your mouth shut and squinted at him until he stopped.

            “I’m sorry, love. You looked like a confused fish.” He wiped tears from his eyes and straightened up.

            “Just explain to the confused fish why she’s blind.”

            “Because you’ve proven yourself more than I have. You care for me every day, calming my fears, kissing me tenderly, making sure I don’t go out of my mind worrying about you, and the boys, and Thorin’s stubborn arse. You provide me with an escape from the world. When I’m with you I forget everything else. You protect me from my own thoughts, like when you woke up, and forced me to agree that it wasn’t my fault you got hurt. You trust me to hold you without hurting you, trust me to help you heal, to be around your brother alone, to lay next to you while you sleep and wake up just as dressed as you were when you went to bed. You have nothing to prove to me.”

            You flung your good arm around his neck and hauled yourself closed to him. His arms went around you and helped you, a hand pulling your head onto his shoulder. You shook your head in disbelief and told him how you felt.

            “Love? I, uh, I couldn’t quite catch that.”

            You lifted your head so his shoulder couldn’t muffle your words again. “I said that I never thought I would be in love with a dwarf that could make me steaming mad and absolutely overwhelmed with love in less than an hour.”

            “Overwhelmed with love?”

            “You nodded. I love you, Dwalin. Even if you do bring out my stubborn side and make me want to defy every suggestion you have, I love you.” He smiled as you spoke, a soft joy filling his eyes.

            “And I love you, Y/N, more than I can put into words.”

            You smiled so hard your cheeks started to ache. You rubbed your nose against his and kissed him twice on the lips before he pulled away from you.

            “Wait, there’s something I want to do, if you’ll let me.”

            “There’s very little I would deny you at this point.”

            “Let me braid your hair?”

            You rolled your eyes up to your head. You would never have been able to braid hair as short as yours, but you knew from the past months that dwarves prided themselves on their braiding skills. “If you think it’s long enough.”

            “It might be, but what I really want is to put my bead in your hair. Will you let me?”

            “Of course. Nothing would make me happier.”

            His fingers carded through your hair. It felt like a massage, so you closed your eyes and enjoyed it. He tried and failed several times to braid your hair. He muttered in Khuzdul under his breath and you chuckled despite your best efforts not to. You felt his fingers comb through you hair, and this time instead of separating three strands he picked one skinny one. He twisted the hair and you felt the weight of a bead added and clasped down. He let go and the hair unraveled until it hung naturally, his bead still in place, cool on your scalp.

            “How do I look?”

            “Beautiful, and a little more dwarvish.”

            You bit your lip to contain your Cheshire cat grin. You did not succeed, so you launched yourself forward, tackling your dwarf. He managed to stay on the couch, his back pressing into the cushions. Your lips peppered kisses to his neck and cheeks and lips. He managed to capture your lips on one of your pecks and kissed you deeply. His hands held your hips close to his, his knees bent to bracket your body. Your good arm held you up a little, your bad arm rested on his chest, playing with the chest hair that peeked out of his tunic.

            “We might.” Kiss. “Want to.” Kiss. “Stop.” Kiss. “Before we get.” Kiss. “Carried away.” Kiss.

            “You’re.” Kiss. “Not.” Kiss. “Really.” Kiss. “Going to.” Kiss. “Stop the fun.” Kiss. “Are you?”

            He groaned as you moved to nibble his ear. He really didn’t want to stop the fun. If the tightening in his trousers had any say he’d have all the fun right where you were, not even bothering to carry you to a bed, but he was just aware enough, at the moment to know that making love to you on the couch was a bad idea. There wasn’t nearly enough room for him to take care of you properly, and there was always the risk of someone walking in on you, like Bilbo, who would surely kill him if he saw the way you were pressed against him, the way his hands were moving to cup your ass.

            He kissed you on the lips again, slowing the pace until he gently broke to look at you. His hands moved from your rear to your waist, one coming up to weave through your hair. “Not like this, love. It’d be a shame if your brother caught us and killed me before I could treat you like you deserve.”

            “Smart move.” Bilbo’s voice rang out from behind the couch, along with some snickering.

            “Shit.”

            “Y/N!” 

            “How is it that my dwarf and my brother are both fussing at me for my language?” you moved off Dwalin and helped him sit up. You looked over the back of the couch and saw the Durins and your brother. “Hi, guys.” You offered a shy to distract from your red cheeks. It did not work.

             Dwalin smiled sheepishly at Bilbo, but your brother just rolled his eyes. He honestly didn't look mad, just a little exasperated, like he knew he couldn't control you and had given up. _"Just don't let me catch you again,"_ Bilbo mouthed at you. You and Dwalin smiled and nodded once in agreement.

            “We got worried when we neither of you came back. No one just leaves half of a sandwich,” Kili said. You giggled. It was true. You’d never been one to leave food unfinished.

            “I’m not training with you if you aren’t eating properly, lass.”

            “Alright,” you sighed as you stood. “I’ll come finish lunch. Just got distracted. Unless, you want to back out of training tomorrow, if you aren’t ready…”

            “Hey, I said I’d train. You should learn not to doubt royalty.”

            “Royal pain is more like it,” you muttered low so only Dwalin could hear. He laughed.

            “Whatever that was I assume it wasn’t nice and you’ll pay for it tomorrow.”

            “You wish.”

            “Kili, get your brother back to the dining room. And you,” Thorin turned to you, “save the trash talk for sparring tomorrow.”

            “Fine,” you agreed, before mumbling, “spoil sport.”

            “I heard that.”

            Dwalin laughed again, this time at you. You cut your eyes to him he tried to silence himself. “Sorry.” Your apology was half assed and not really sincere, but Thorin didn’t really seem to care. He nodded at you, shared a smile with Dwalin that him seemed to understand and started dragging your brother away.

            “Come on, I think Nori wanted to talk to you about technique or something.”

            You exchanged a look with Dwalin. You smiled the same mischievous grin. You squeaked when he picked up from the couch, this time carrying you bridal style. You kissed him as he carried you down the hall. You leaned to open the door and push it open as he carried you into his bedroom. He kicked the door closed.

            He laid you down his bed, and crawled up after you. His kiss was long and deep and had you pressing your body closer to his. You moaned a little and lifted your right arm to wrap around his neck to keep him from pulling away.

            He smirked against your lips. “Oh, Love, I’m going to treat you so good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone who patiently waited for chapters enjoyed this and thought it was worth waiting for! I realize I left things wanting in some areas *cough* smut *cough cough* so if you want another chapter to fulfill that just let me know! Thank you for reading and for any comments/kudos! I appreciate all of you!


	4. Never Happier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin carries you into his bedroom and treats you like you ought to be treated. Lucky you.

_He laid you down his bed, and crawled up after you. His kiss was long and deep and had you pressing your body closer to his. You moaned a little and lifted your right arm to wrap around his neck to keep him from pulling away._

_He smirked against your lips. “Oh, Love, I’m going to treat you so good.”_

 

            “Stop talking and start doing.”

            “As you wish, my lady.”

            His lips trailed over your cheek to your ear. He gently ran his lips over the shell of your ear before nibbling on your lobe. The rough fabric of his tunic bunched under your fingers as you gripped as tightly as you could. His hands explored your body, massaging your breasts, gripping your hips, pinching your bum. Your left hand stayed clutching his shirt for dear life, your right slid down his side and around to grab his rear. He let out a soft grunt of surprise and his hips bucked forward. You could feel him smile against you. Deciding to experiment you pushed your chest up to press against his and nuzzled his cheek. 

            “Are you trying to kill me?”

            “You think my boobs can do that?”

            “You could kill me with a look if you wanted. I’m trying to go slow for you. To treat you like you should be treated.”

            “Dwalin, look at me.”

            He propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at you. You could his cheeks flushed from excitement and saw how his chest moved with his faster breathing. 

            “I want you. I want you to touch me, feel me, kiss every inch of me, and let me do the same to you. I want to map your body with mine, to know every single pane and curve, every ticklish spot, every spot that makes you whimper and call for me, the spot that will make you yell my name for the entire mountain to hear. I want to do all of those things, and I don’t care if it’s slow or not.”

            You felt him grow harder against your thigh. His gray-blue irises were almost lost to his extremely dilated pupils. The muscles in his jaw, shoulders, arms, and back tensed. His smile was carnal, pink lips wetted by the flick of his tongue, mustache pulling up at the corners. You wanted to attack his lips with yours, to taste the tongue that kept darting out and teasing you. It took every ounce of restraint that you had to hold back, wait for him to respond.

            “You really are going to kill me. What would like me to do to you first?”

            “Kiss me.” How was your voice so smooth? So in control? You’d never been in this situation before, never made love before. How did you know what you were doing?

            “Where?” His voice was ragged.

            “Surprise me.” The sound of his voice gasping like it did when he was in the middle of a fight made your voice falter and your statement sounded more like a question.

            “Close your eyes, then.” 

            You obeyed. The bed shifted as he moved above you, body rubbing against yours, igniting a forge like heat within you. His beard brushed against your neck and collarbone. A hand tangled in your hair and pulled your head back so he could plant his lips against the underside of your chin. You gasped at the sensation of his tongue tasting you. He moved down your neck like that, a kiss then a lick, until he reached the hollow of your neck, and he bit down gently, making your hips buck up against his.

            “Dwalin.”

            “Yes?”

            “More. I want more.”

            “More what, love?” He sounded so innocent, but you knew better. That bastard knew exactly what you wanted.

            “Dwalin.” Your voice was a mix of a moan and a whine. He chuckled and told you to keep your eyes closed. Your bottom lip suffered between your teeth as you not-so-patiently waited for what was to come. Calloused hands took your hands and lifted them. A gentle kiss was placed to the back of each hand. They moved up your arms, over your shoulders and around your back, to the ties of your dress. 

            “May I?” The voice was so close to your ear that you felt his whiskers dance against your skin.

            “Yes.” 

            Your stomach was tight with anticipation. He loosened the ties slowly, his cheek nuzzling yours as he went lower and lower. When the bodice was as loose as it could get, he pushed it, along with your shift, off your shoulders, and down your arms, until your chest was exposed to him and your arms were pinned to your sides. You were breathing so heavily that you almost missed the soft exhale coming from the dwarf on top of you.

            “Y/N, you’re beautiful. Open your eyes for me.”

            You never thought you would see Dwalin awe-struck, but that’s what you saw when you looked up at him. Eyes barely blinking, gaze fixed on you. You could feel yourself blushing. He chuckled.”Oh, shut up and make love to me, master dwarf,” you said with a shake of you head and a smile.

            “As you wish.”

            His lips circled your nipple. When he tugged on it with his teeth your back arched on it’s own accord and thrust you deeper into his mouth. His hand came up to massage your other boob. His mouth felt amazing, hot and wet and like heaven.

            All too soon, yet not soon enough, he was yanking on your dress again. Your arms were freed; your stomach felt the coarse material of his shirt and the cold buckle of his belt. With very little coaxing, you lifted your hips so he could pull your dress the rest of the way off. You only had your knickers left. 

            “Oh, Y/N.” He groan went straight between your legs. As good as his voice was, and as pleasant as his mouth was, you wanted all of him.

            “Let me see you, the way you see me.”

            He knelt on the bed, knees on either side of your thighs. You watched him grab the bottom of his shirt and pull it off in one go. Burly. That’s the word for his chest. Broad and muscular and hairy. Dark hair that grew thickly across his chest and tampered down to a concentrated line that disappeared into his trousers.

            “Like what you see?”

            You hummed in response.

            “I’ll take that as a yes.” After another second or two of watching your mesmerized eyes soak in his chest he moved off the bed.

            You had to prop up to see him unbuckle his belt, agonizingly slowly, and pull down his trousers, equally slowly. The outline of his manhood was visible through his trousers and you bit your lip to unsuccessfully suppress the whine of want that came forth without your permission. His legs were covered in the same dark hair as his chest. His thighs looked powerful, like they could crush a skull. You wanted grab them, to use them to steady yourself as you pleasured him with your mouth, to rake your nails across his skin as he begged for more.

            “You look distracted. May I ask what you’re thinking about?” He sounded concerned. You smiled and he raised an eyebrow. He’d never seen that look in your eye before, the one that said you were completely in control and totally lost at the same time.

            You slid off the bed and stood in from of him. It took tiptoes to reach his mouth, but you didn’t mind, not when his hands held onto your rear to steady you, to pull you flush against him.

            “Sit on the bed.”

            “Yes, my lady.”

            When he was settled you straddled his lap and kissed his neck, giving him the same treatment he gave you. Kiss, lick, kiss, lick, kiss lick, kiss, lick, bite. Your hips gyrated against him and he bucked up against you.

            “Woman, if you want this to last you might want to change our positions.”

            “As you wish,” you whispered against his skin.

            You moved to kneel between his legs. He eyed you carefully and tried to control his breathing, but he couldn’t do both. Your hands clutched his knees and slowly rubbed up towards his core. The muscles in his stomach jumped and tightened. You moved back towards his knees and you saw the pleading look in his eyes that he refused to voice.

            “Let me pleasure you?”

            “Only if I get to do the same to do, love.”

            “Deal. Now, lift your hips.”

            You pulled his underwear down to his ankles, refusing to look at his manhood just yet, and he kicked them across the room. He was big, at least from what your married friends described, this was big. Short dark hair curled around him and you tried to figure out where to start on something so large. What had your friend told you? The tip? The base?

            “Love? You don’t have to do this. I want you to be comfortable.”

            “I want to do this. I just - I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know where to start. What would make it … good, for you?”

            “Just touch me, grip me firmly, but not too tight.”

            You reached up, and before you took hold of him you trailed your fingers along the side. He shuddered a little and you took hold of him then. Instinctively you began to pump your hand. You heard his breathing get heavier and you glanced up. His eyes were closed and his fists balled up.

            “How’s that?”

            “That’s good, lass.”

            “And how’s this?”

            You dipped your head to kiss the tip of him, before you licked along the underside, right where the vein was. You heard a broken gasp and smiled to yourself. Carefully, you took him into your mouth, scared of hurting him with your teeth. His grunt filled your ears and you smiled, as much as you could. You experimented, sucking, and bobbing your head, repeating the actions that made him moan the loudest or sigh your name. His hand tangled in your hair and helped guide you where he really wanted you. You moaned as he tugged your hair, and that made him groan your name in the most erotic way. 

            Knowing that you were the reason that he was so turned on, that you were the one making him moan and sigh added to your own arousal; you rubbed your legs together to get a hint of friction and felt how damp your knickers were. You were in need.

            Dwalin tugged on your hair until you released him from your mouth with a soft pop. “Get up here.”

            You stood and climbed onto his lap. His cock pressed against you, massaging you through your underwear. You gyrated against him, arching so you could feel him. “Dwalin, please, touch me.”

            “I thought you’d never ask.” With a growl he flipped you onto your back and buried his face in your neck, biting the junction of your neck and shoulder. He worked that spot with his teeth and tongue as his hand slid down your body, cupping you through your knickers. You let out a whine.

            “What was that?”

            “Dwalin.”

            “I don’t know what exactly that means, love. Tell me.” He placed one more kiss to your neck before he looked into your eyes. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

            “Take of my knickers, touch me, fondle me, make my back arch.”

            “I can do that.”

            He pulled off your underwear quickly, and you though he would let his animalistic side kick in, but no, he became so gentle that you weren’t sure he was touching you at first. Rough fingers trailed up the inside of your thighs. A solitary finger ghosted over your lips before pressing down on your clit. He massaged you gently, another finger slowly teasing your entrance. When he finally slipped a finger inside, your mouth opened in a silent gasp of pleasure and your head tipped back. Every movement was slow and deliberate, carefully done to make sure you got maximum pleasure from it. When he pulled away you sat up to protest, but your first syllable was cut off by his mouth kissing your center. You moaned and tangled your hands in his hair.

            His tongue would teasingly dance across your clit and then lick flatly. You wiggled and bucked to press more firmly against him. He held your hips in place with one hand and with the other slipped a finger inside of you as his mouth continued to work its magic. His fingers rubbed against your walls, finding every spot that made you moan a little louder, call his name, or make your voice break off entirely.

            “Please, love, I need you inside of me.”

            “Not just yet.”

            “Dwalin, please.”

            “Patience. You’ll thank me later.” Without waiting for a response, he pressed his lips to you again, sucking on your clit, his tongue swirling around it. His fingers curled against your walls a few more times and you felt yourself explode in wave after wave of pleasure. You bucked towards his face, gripped his hair so tight he though you might pull some out, and moaned his name over and over. He didn’t stop when you came, or when your orgasm was over. He kept going, pleasuring your over-sensitive skin, your body feeling every lick, every stroke twice as much. You tried to steady your breathing, to refocus your brain, but you couldn’t, not with your dwarf still between your legs. 

            When you could no longer handle the pleasure, you tugged him up towards you by his hair. He hovered above you, the majority of weight on his hands, mouth and beard glistening with your wetness, a twinkle in his eye.

            “How was that?”

            “Perfect,” you whispered as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. You could taste yourself on his lips. It turned you on more than you expected.

            “Hopefully, this will be even better,” he murmured against your lips. His cock rubbed against your folds. You could feel the way he controlled his body, moving his hips ever so slightly so you could feel him, so he could make himself slick.

            “You know, I didn’t expect it to be this wonderful.”

            “Oh?”

            “Yeah. My friends never really mentioned it."

            “Those poor women. Someone needs to teach their partners a thing or two. Did they happen to mention anything about this part?” His hips jolted a little more forcefully, so the tip hit your clit.

            “Ah! I mean, not really. Vague ideas.”

            “Mmmm, well, how about we get a little, working knowledge?”

            “Yes. I’m ready for you.”

            “Tell me if you don’t like something.” He lined himself up carefully, and you bent your knees, lifting them to clamp down on his sides. He paused just before he pushed in, his hand pushing away some hair from your sweat soaked forehead. “You look beautiful, Y/N.”

            “Make love to me, Dwalin.”

            He thrust into you gently and slowly. He stayed still inside of you, waiting for your body to adjust. You moved your hips when you were ready and he pulled out, you eyes closed from the sensation and he watched you carefully, to make sure it was all good. I didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm. Your hips moved with his, intensifying the feelings.

            Your hands were wrapped around his back, playing with his hair, your nails digging into his skin when he hit a particularly good spot. He massaged your breast as he made love to you. You moaned, burying your face in his neck and sucking on the skin, tasting him and the sweat that trickled down. He grunted and groaned and each sound that escaped him made you buck your hips, made the coil in your stomach tighten a little more. 

            “You like that? You like the way I slide into you? You like it when I take my hands to you?” He squeezed your breast a little harder for effect and you gasped.

            “Yes. Yes. I like it.”

            “What else do you like?”

            “The noises you make. I want you panting and moaning. Don’t hold back. Let me hear it.”

            He groaned louder as he thrust into you, picking up the pace a little. When you told him to go harder he growled before driving into you. The coil in your stomach grew tighter and tighter as he hit that spot inside you that had you seeing stars. His hand wandered from your breast to your clit and rubbed in sync with his thrusts. Your eyes closed and your mouth hung open as you pleasure began to flood your body.

            “Are you close?”

            “Yes!”

            “Me too.”

            He doubled his efforts, thrusting harder, rubbing faster. You matched his pace and gripped onto his back. You felt him twitch inside you and you knew he was about to come.

            “Come for me, Y/N.”

            Your nails dug into his skin as he thrust into you, milking your orgasm for all its worth. Your skin tingled burned and pulsated with sweet sweet gratification. Sometime during your high you, heard him telling you he was about to come before joining you in pure bliss. He moaned your name before quickly pulling out and coming on your stomach.

            He collapsed nested to you on the bed. Your eyes closed as your body slowly came back down to earth. His kissed your cheek and murmured a breathless ‘thank you,’ before apologizing for the mess. “I just didn’t want to risk, you know, not before we’re married.”

            “Handsome and smart. I’m a double winner."

            The bed shifted a bit. Was he ready to move already? How? You didn't think you’d be moving for a while. Then it dawned on you when you felt a cloth rubbing against your stomach, then down between your legs. He was cleaning you. You smiled and silently vowed that next time you would be the one to clean you both.

             A soft thud came from the corner, and the bed dipped again as he repositioned himself. “There now, we’re clean enough to fall asleep.”

            You hummed and reached blindly for him. When your hand collided with skin and hair you felt for a minute. His arm. He let you pull him into your waiting arms, well arm. Your left was refusing to work at the moment. Probably shouldn’t have reached to grab him so much. Oops. His head rested on your right shoulder and your right arm was around him, fingers drawing patterns on his back. His arms moved to your waist and pulled you closer. The weight and warmth of his head and arms were better than any blanket.

            “How do you feel?”

            “Amazing.”

            “I didn’t hurt you?”

            “Not even close, ad I would have told you if you had.”

            “You’re sure?”

            “Dwalin, love, stop worrying. There was not a second of it that I did not enjoy. Did you like it?”

            He nuzzled you before answering. “I’ve never been so happy in my life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad some of you enjoyed this story enough to request more chapters and had the patience to wait for me to get it written! I take reader-insert requests. Thank you for reading/leaving kudos/commenting! I really hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I've never written for Dwalin before so I fear I may have gotten him too out of character. Feel free to make requests! Thank you for reading and for any comments/kudos; you're all amazing!
> 
> Also, Airlia is a Scottish name meaning "eagle wood," and was found on babynames.com


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